She has a sleeping bag, some dried food, pepper spray, a cell phone and a sign - "Walking for Oil Conservation / Ask Me."

People do. She has been invited into schools and put up for the night by sympathetic passers-by she met on the road.

So, though a little behind schedule (she's in Kentucky, 300 miles into a 1,000-mile trek), she has been gratified by the reception.

Baker hit the road Sept. 30, prompted by the BP oil-well disaster.

She's a disciple of Doris "Granny D" Haddock, a New Hampshire activist who, at age 89, trekked 3,200 miles across the country to advocate campaign-finance reform.

Haddock, who died this year at 100, once said, "Sometimes, all you can do is put your body in front of a problem and stand there as a witness to it."

Baker decided that, if she planned to put her body in front of the American oil addiction, she had best do so without using any oil.

Hence the walk.

Baker is the daughter of Nancy and Chris Baker, who own the Baker's Acres nursery and greenhouse in Alexandria.

Mr. Baker isn't entirely surprised that his daughter, who aspires to start an organic farm, would launch such a quest.

"She has always been artsy and non-

mainstream. ... We're very proud of her and what she's doing - bringing some kind of awareness."

Still, a dad worries.

"We were terrified when she said she was going to do this by herself."

So far, so good, Sarah said.

"I never approach people," she said. "I don't want to be pushy; I let them come to me. I have talked to some shady characters, but, once they see what I'm doing, they're like 'Whoa,' and they kind of have this respect for me. ... The cause is kind of protecting me."

Baker, who doesn't own a car, thinks Americans just don't realize how dependent they are on oil.

She has a Facebook page - Don't Fear Oil Change: 20 Facts, 20 Acts - that contains what should be elementary information about oil, including the fact that it's the chief ingredient in plastic bags.

"You'd be surprised how many grown adults don't realize plastic is made from oil."

To avoid undercutting her message, Baker is minimizing her use of fuel and plastics on the trip. She isn't traveling with a stove and eats dried foods she packed. (Her breakfast usually consists of chia seeds, which are nutritious but far better-known for the vegetation they produce on Chia Pets.)

Her ultimate goal is to reach the marshy areas south of New Orleans where oil from the spill lingers.

"It's more about the journey than the destination," she said.

The trip home will require some energy consumption: She plans to ride a bus.

Walking back might be ideal, but she has a promise to keep.

Joe Blundo is a Dispatch columnist.

jblundo@dispatch.com

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